Cosmology of Quest for Glory
The Cosmology of Quest for Glory is something that is rarely discussed in the Quest for Glory series. But there are a number of suggested ideas. As cosmology is rarely touched upon in the game series (and there is no firm explanation or answer in the published lore), this wiki chooses not to discuss this topic except within a few key articles (see Reimagined Earth concept , Force wave concept, Magical rifts concept, Earth and Gloriana). Geography The Geography of Gloriana, is both implied to be the same as Earth, but also quite different in some places (Marete is different than Crete although both are mentioned, and both may or may not co-exist within the same world, or separate worlds). Or perhaps somewhere between the configuration of Gondwanaland and modern geography. Gloriana/Earth has always been described as 'round' or spherical since QFG1. Where the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School: How to Be a Hero guidebook talks about the 'northern hemisphere' and the 'southern hemisphere'. QFG2 shows solar system orrery made up of 'round' globes representing various planets... QFG4 and QFG5 both show round globes as well. In QFG5 is also a reference to "World Go Round" which is a reference to round earth. The only possible reference to a belief in flat earth from any people is made in QFG3 from the Liontaurs... "Our kingdom extends from the mountains of the north and west to the cliffs of the world's edge to the south and the sands of the Azure Sea to the east." However 'world's edge' is an actually location in South Africa better known as the Drakensberg Escarpment.https://www.flickr.com/photos/kryyslee/648201635/ But may also be used to describe South Africa in general, and Cape of Good Hope. Concept of 'world's edge' may also exist in Egyptian mythology. Historical references References to historical events or historical figures (from many periods of Earth's history), either have to exist within the past, present or future of Gloriana's history, or individuals know of events and figures that occur in a parallel world (there are no direct or confirmed indirect references to 'parallel or co-existing' earths within the published lore however, nor of characters somehow crossing over between two earths). Non-Linear Time Perhaps lands of Gloriana do not exist on 'linear time', but rather various eras exist at the same time (perhaps some kind of 'time crash' has occurred), perhaps various lands exist at different points in history (pockets of time). Spielberg is locked back at 8 Zillion BC with elements of Medieval time period that 'moved'/'travelled'/'crashed' there. But at least some characters have been in the Crusades (in Tangier, 1437). One character experienced the destruction of Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius (79 AD). There is a reference to Caesar crossing the Rubicon (49 BC). A reference to 1957 Chevy. Elvis is name dropped a few times. Shapeir has people from relatively modern 20th century Fredonia (America) but exists in generally medieval Islamic Persian country. Lawrence of Arabia has already fought in the First World War there it seems on a Saurus. There is of course evidence that second war has already been fought including a splitup of Germany into eastern and western Germany (and the fact they call the fist war number "1"). It won't be until 5-6 generations in the future in that electricity will be created from the perspective of time from Hero's home country (Willowsby). There is an electric fan and a toaster in QFG2. Whereas electricity and more Victorian age has already occurred in Mordavia. On the other hand some of the hero's backstory suggests he's traveled around Fredonia at some point before he decided to become a Hero (and may even have Fredonian relatives). Silmaria is filled with oddities from many different eras and technological advances. 1960s drug culture and hippies exist (The Straight Dope, a Sixties Survival Manua). The Change The Change is an event discussed in Quest For Glory 3 in which animals apparently became sentient and quickly evolved into humanoid and centaur beings. Thus explaining the various humanoid dog, katas, liontaurs etc. Very little is known about this, and if it is an event in Gloriana's history, or even if if it is something that was part of importance of the formation of the magical universe. Much of what is known about the "Change" is based on pure conjecture and speculation, as its only mentioned once, and with very little context other than its relationship to the phaeroh dogs of Egypt/Tarna and the Katta of Shapeir. Earth's distant past (alternate past history) This is an idea suggested in Quest for Glory 4, and somewhat tied to a general Sierraverse concept (and mentioned by Corey Cole, see Reimagined Earth concept ). According to Corey Cole in this concept Earth is not so much an 'parallel world' to Earth but rather it is a 'reimagined Earth' (sort of an alternate history to our earth). In this idea Gloriana is an ancient earth past (or not so ancient, and only a few generations removed from the late 20th century) similar to the concept of Hyborian Age in Conan series, or the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ages in the Tolkien universe. Or at least concerns nations that co-exist with other historical earth nations either hidden or unknown to most of the world (see Harry Potter's concept of Hogwart's, the muggles, and the wizard's worlds), and similar to one of the cosmological concepts for the King's Quest series (Daventry being another name for the Earth in a period in the distant past). One example suggests that QFG1 takes place possibly far into the past, circa 8 zillion BC. Mount Everest is supposedly seen (it supposedly gets bigger), yet on the other hand the Hero is said to have thought about climbed Mr. Everest in the past, and how Zauberberg reminds him of the mountain. Of course there is the strange reference to Gondwanaland (a geographical supercontinent from about 200 million years ago, discussed in a strangely contemporary way in QFG5. Also dinosaurs are very much still alive and exist all over the world of Gloriana. In this world it seems Greece, and Ancient Rome, and Helena have already happened. But part of Rome's glory is still retained in the city of Nova Roma. But there is also a reference to the crusade in Tangiers (which occurred more or less in the 1400s). But its also confirmed in the future Dr. Cranium's great-great grandson will become the owner of the Castle of Dr. Brain and have a video game made about him by Sierra On-Line. Dr. Brain assuming the scientist didn't travel across from one world to another lived in a castle in the Sierra mountains near Coarsegold the site of the former headquarters of Sierra On-Line. Dr. Brain's own Cerebral Hemisphere appears to possibly be its own separate planet or even possibly parallel world from the Earth he originated from. One additional note about the Dr. Brain/Cranium connection its not merely a name drop (Sierra World injoke) in the game but also appears in the background description with official published Hintbook for QFG4. It's not so much that Gloriana exists on the real world, but on a fantastical version of the real world, that ultimately evolves into a fantastical 'future' that is similar to 20th century present, but also with its own whimsical quirks. World War 1 occurs, but Lawrence of 'Arabia' may have ridden into some of his battles on Saurus. By the time of Dr. Brain more or less a mirror of the late 1980s and 1990s historical world similar to the Sierraverse world that Leisure Suit Larry or Police Quest takes place in (or what Peter Spear describes in the Leisure Suit Larry Bedside Companion as a kind of 'multiverse' where Sierra's games exist, in a kind of parody of the real world, including its own parodies of Sierra Studios). Whatever the case time and space is rather 'loose or fluid' in the Quest for Glory universe with characters knowing of events that are supposed to happen centuries in the world's future, events that seemingly happened already, even things from zillions and millions of years ago coexisting in the present (dinosaurs are still alive), and these all add up anachronisms that are not fully understood. In QFG1, 'electricity hasn't been invented yet' (but apparently toaster ovens, toasters, fans, and tv/monitors/computers haveQFG2 magic shop). It's implied it won't be invented for several generations, the Hero's great-great-great-great-grandson (who hasn't been born yet, will know how to use it), but by QFG4 its being used by Dr. Cranium, and the scientists in QFG5 are using it, and even gone as far as inventing monochrome computers (but have not invented 'VGA' yet). But they haven't yet invented flying machines (except maybe jet planes (mirage), airplanes, helicopters, and space ships), sub-sea-surface vehicles, or orbital artificial satellites (but have stations to land, dock, and launch them from). In QFG2 it is said that Bicarbonate of soda hasn't been invented yet. These (and other references to the 'future') are all the sort of references that seem to suggest that the narrator, and others see Earth of the present (c. 20th century) as their later 'future' at which some point as time progresses they become. Another way of looking at this is that in this interpretation Earth/Gloriana isn't so much as a co-existing parallel world, but an alternate past for the earth that modern humans currently inhabit (mass extinctions of dinosaurs, and other creatures will happen at a later date, and for the most part history ultimately self-correct itself into something closer to the real Earth, but not quite). That is to say there is no evidence that 'real Earth' coexists 'parallel' with Gloriana, but that Gloriana might be the real Earth in the Quest for Glory universe's 'alternate history' (and historical Earth as we know it never existed). It might also be that the predictions of the future/anachronisms within Quest for Glory lore, may represent the 'real history of the world', while modern history books (as we read in the real world) are the 'revisionist historians' take on the world (in denial of the magic and whimsy that once existed within the world, and trying to find serious explanation to things that are unexplainable in the non-linear nature of the world's history). In a sense merging real world and fictional world of Gloriana into one. The Sierraverse The Sierraverse concept fits in a number of things such as a knowledge of Rosella, Graham, and general knowledge of Daventry (which is punned as Daventree, another Daven Tree appears in QFG3), Dr. Brain is the great-great grandson of Dr. Cranium, the Hero once knew the fairy Genesta, the Leshe is annoyed by one known as Cedric, the Wizards Institute of Technocery existing in a kind of pocket universe between all points of space and time (Roger Wilco, and Cleveland are mentioned), and some other assorted 'easter eggs' and plot points. The Two Guys from Andromeda gave a hand to defend Spielburg, and it exists in the same universe as Xenon, Pestulon, Phleebhut and Ortega. The existence of Orats on a stick... Likewise some of those other sources also make references back to the world in which Quest for Glory takes place in, such as Graham never having attended the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School. Dr. Brain also makes references back to Spielburg and Aziza. Perhaps noteworthy when taking this concept into consideration is the reference that Roger Wilco has traveled through "space and time, and every other dimension" (which may suggest that there are number of parallel universes involved in the Quest for Glory universe). During the Hoyle series, in particular Hoyle 3 Baba Yaga and Ad Avis interact with a number of individuals from across the whole of the Sierra World. Time Travel/Dimensional-travel Some lines inside of Wizard's Institute of Technocery in Quest For Glory II might hint at cross-dimensional and time travel (see time and space and dimension). Between the information included in QFG4, the QFG4 Hintbook and Quest For Glory: The Authorized Guide there is material that seems to support time travel or time dilation as having happened (though unintentionally). For examples certain materials being published before the events ever happened (see HERO: The Journal of General Job Adjusting: Issue IV which was 'already' old by the time the Hero reached Mordavia). Perhaps some time distortion or time travel is involved explaining some of the anachronisms, and knowledge of future and past events. For example its possible that Amelia Earhart became lost from 20th century earth into the period of Gloriana, or is she somehow a 'lost contemporary' of Gloriana's "1930's period"/present/recent past, or even possibly part of Gloriana's future (the Gargoyle states she will not show up in Spielburg for at least a couple of centuries"She'll be here a couple of centuries from now. Come back then."). Corey Cole attempted to explain this discrepancy with regards to the original QFG series and QFG4 (noting they hadn't originally intended time travel in QFG4's backstory), but he suggested the possibility of 'alternate-universe' or 'dimensional' travel. But unclear if it suggested the possibility of multiple parallel 'Mordavias', or that Mordavia existed in a kind of separate but connected pocket universe of its own (and he simply "returned' back to regular Gloriana, see Return timeline). :Ref time travel - If the designers count when it comes to canon, I can say that no time travel was intended. As far as we're concerned, the five-game Quest for Glory series takes place in linear order, with an unspecified amount of time between each pair of games. The Hero does not necessarily arrive immediately in the next adventure location. :The only possible ambiguity is the question of how the Dark Master's summoning spell worked. That is not well defined, so time or alternate-universe travel is possible. If so, Erasmus's spell that transports the Hero to Silmaria might have "cleaned up" the dimensional side-effects of the Dark Master's spell.http://www.hero-u.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=292&p=2551#p2551 See also *Multiverse (QFG/Hero-U) *Magical rifts concept *Multiversal concept *On the Origin of Daventry *Sierra World (Leisure Suit Larry) *Multiverse (King's Quest) *Force wave concept Behind the scenes The mismatch of concepts alluded to within the games may have something to do with the fact that Quest For Glory games were designed by a number of different programmers, some of which inserted their own ideas into the games (and not necessarily part of the original script as written by the Coles). However, at the same time some ideas that the Coles discussed never became part of the games series or related published works, and thus never became part of the original series confirmed canon. References Category:Cosmology Category:Philosophy Category:Behind the scenes